Brad Bergesen

With one out in the top of Wednesday's first inning in a game the Orioles absolutely, positively needed to win to make a cross-country flight to the West Coast bearable, shortstop Cesar Izturis lost the flight of a pop fly on the left side of the infield. He cried, "I can't see it, I can't see it," but Orioles third baseman Miguel Tejada thought Izturis was calling for the pop-up, and by the time he figured out what was happening and lunged to make the catch, the ball had nicked Tejada's glove and bounced to the ground for an error.

I t certainly seemed improbable eight months ago, when the pain in Brad Bergesen's left shin was so intense that he would lie in bed at night in a cold sweat, feeling as if he were about to pass out. He didn't feel much better about his chances eight weeks before the start of spring training, when he couldn't throw a ball 50 feet without excruciating pain in his shoulder. But after months of dealing with pain and little progress, after one significant setback followed by a rapid recovery, Bergesen will emerge from the home dugout at 3:03 p.m. today, take his usual hop over the first base foul line and throw the 2010 season's first official pitch at Camden Yards against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Do the Orioles have to worry about Brad Bergesen, too? A night after another uneven outing from starter Jeremy Guthrie, Bergesen was rocked for six runs, including two tape-measure home runs by Miguel Cabrera, in the Orioles' 10-9 loss to the Detroit Tigers before an announced 8,037 on Tuesday at Ed Smith Stadium. Tigers catcher Alex Avila drove in the game-winning run with an RBI single in the top of the ninth off Ross Wolf. Orioles third baseman Miguel Tejada went 4-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs, and left fielder Felix Pie had three hits, including two doubles.

The Orioles had mixed results from their split-squad games Saturday, but the most encouraging aspect from the afternoon was the performances of two of their young starters. Chris Tillman, who is fighting for the fifth spot in the rotation, took a major step forward with his best performance of the spring, throwing five innings in a 6-0 loss to the Boston Red Sox at Fort Myers, Fla. Brad Bergesen, who is expected to be the club's No. 4 starter, also looked solid in four of his five innings as the Orioles' primary lineup beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 5-2, at home in Sarasota.

The rust was evident and also understandable from a pitcher who hadn't thrown in a game of any significance in 7 1/2 months. The most important thing for the Orioles was that Brad Bergesen looked comfortable and felt healthy after his exhibition debut Wednesday night against the Pittsburgh Pirates at McKechnie Field. That, however, wasn't enough to satisfy the second-year pitcher. Bergesen allowed two earned runs, three hits and a walk in 1 1/3 innings in the Orioles' eventual 3-2 win, reaching his maximum pitch count of 35 on Steve Pearce's run-scoring line single to left field.

- Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail said he doesn't expect Brian Roberts to play in an exhibition game for at least another week, but he is still confident that the injured second baseman will be ready for Opening Day. "The medical stuff that I have so far indicates that he should be ready to go when the season starts," MacPhail said. "It is what it is. You have to recognize that you have a month to go before you open. You have time, and you have to take advantage of it to make it right."

Before he stepped onto the mound and threw his first formal bullpen session in seven months, Brad Bergesen 's arrival Saturday was trumpeted by Orioles catcher Chad Moeller . "Ladies and gentleman, Brad Bergesen," Moeller yelled to the smiles and laughs of teammates. On a day when heavy rains forced the Orioles to conduct their workout in the indoor batting cages and pitching mounds at the Ed Smith Stadium complex, all eyes were on Bergesen, who threw a successful and pain-free 28-pitch bullpen session that strengthened both his and the team's belief that he'll be ready to join the Opening Day rotation.